Eat Frequent Balanced Meals

Eat – Eat – Eat!

You have to eat to lose weight and be fit for life. There’s just no way around it. If you’re not shouting out “Yay! That’s fantastic!”, please take a minute to do so and then read on. Starving yourself may produce results in the short term but your body will soon adjust to the lower calorie intake and anything you consume above that will immediately trigger the body mind to hang onto it for dear life! Furthermore, it takes a severe toll on your organs and can very detrimental longterm. 

I’ve personally experienced these dramatic ups and downs and I’m here to tell you, it’s not necessary nor it is worth it. It’s bad drama and very unhealthy for your body and your mind. Besides, life and fitness and nutrition are not about punishing or restricting yourself. They are about finding balance and figuring out a system that works for you. So without getting too technical or obsessive, accept that you have to eat to to lose weight and stay in shape. Hopefully, that is exciting news!  

The key is in eating the right things and in the right portions. You’ve most likely heard this numerous times but are you putting it into practice? And how much of a portion is enough? And what do I eat? 

Ok, let’s take each factor one at a time. I’ll keep it simple. 

1. Shoot for 5-6 meals/snacks a day: That means you will be eating every 2.5 hours or so. Hang in there with me until factor 3. It’s not as overwhelming or complicated as it may seem. That’s why I added snacks. It helps me from thinking I have to prepare this elaborate ”meal” every few hours. Good heavens. That would be nutty. After all, there are other things that one must get done every day!
   

   Portion Size Guide

    

2. Ok, next is Portion Size: The simplest visual I’ve come up with that is quite effective and accurate is to take your fist and use it as a guide for your protein and carbohydrates portions. You also need a bit of healthy fat in this mix so use your thumb as a guide. This may not sound like much but you will be amazed that if you eat correctly, it will fill you up – and besides you get to eat again in a few hours!
    
3. And finally, What are you going to Eat! This is a general and overall guide. We will get into more details down the road and in some of the more customized programs. However, if you use this as your foundation for your 5-6 ”snacks”, you will be well on your way to health and fitness for life.  Carbohydrates: Stick to fruits and vegetables. Stay away from anything processed or make that portion very small relative to the rest of your carbs.  Proteins:  Fish, Chicken, Lean Meats, Eggs. I am not a vegetarian but completely respect that decision. There are some great sources for protein so don’t let this stop you! Fats: Avocado, Olive Oil, Nuts. (Keep in mind that if your protein source is high in fat i.e. salmon, you do not need to add an extra thumb of fat!)
   

   Load up the Veggies!

    

Yum!

That’s it! Each of these areas can be broken down even further and get much more specific and technical but for now, just start to be aware and shoot for building that foundation with the 3 key factors. This is a huge step so be proud of taking it and enjoy the process. And please let me know how it goes! It would be great to have you share your story and inspire others. 

Here’s to you!